Ballast device.



R. A. D. PRESTON. BALLAST DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED Mn 27, 1912.

1,076,060. Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

I i I I I MI I I:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH A. D. PRESTON, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOODYEAR TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BALLAST nnvicn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH A. D. Pnns'ros', a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit. and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ballast Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ballasting devices for use on instrumentalities employed in aerial navigation.

The object of the invent-ion, broadly speaking, is to convey to such an instrumentality, such, for instance, as a dirigible balloon, fluid ballast to replace the loss of weight due to the use of fuel employed for propelling the balloon, or to counteract the increase in lifting power due to expansion. of gas.

More specifically, the invention resides in providing an instrumentality engaged in aerial navigation such, for instance, as a dirigible balloon, with means-for pum ing or otherwise conveying water from a ho y of water as a lake, river, sea, etc., over which the balloon may at the time be passing to thereby replace the weight lost by the use of the fuel consumed in propelling the balloon, or to counteract the increase in lifting power due to expansion of gas.

With the foregoing and. other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangementof parts constituting the invention to be hereinafter specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Figure 1 is a die-grammatical view in side vided with one or more propellers 3 preferably, although not necessarily, revolved through the medium of internal combustion 61%11168 utilizing gas or gasolene as a fuel.

xperlence has demonstrated that in cases of spherical balloons or those which do not utilize a motor, one difficulty is to maintain the buoyancy of the balloon-while on the contrary the constant use of a fluid and the loss of the weight thereby in operating or navigating a dirigible balloon tends toincrease the buoyancy of the balloon and consequent difliculty in keeping the balloon from assuming too high an altitude, and as the constant use of fuel is required for navigation purposes it becomes highly desirable to replace the loss of the weight due to the fuel with some easily procurable substance and to supply this weight or ballast continuously in approximately as near a direct tatio to the loss of weight due to the consumption of fuel as possible.

In order to accomplish the foregoing 1 preferably secure to the balloon a pump 4 which is to be dragged in the water by means of tow-lines 5 suitably connected with various portions of, the frame work and also connect the pump 4 with a storage tank or tanks 6 carried by the balloon through the medium of a flexible conductor, such as a hose 7, so that as the pump 4 moves through the water the fluid in the pump 4 will be de- %ivered to a receptacle carried by the baloon.

In the drawings, the pump 4 is illustrated. in detail only so far as is necessary to show a device having the functions of a pump, specific types of pumps which may be used being shown, described and claimed in the applications of Ralph H. Upson, filed July 22, 1912, Serial Nos. 710,953; 710,95i; 710,955, and 710,956, but it is contemplated by this invention that the force or power derived or set up by the dragging or moving of the pump body 4 through the water will It will be obvious, of course, that various forms or types of pump may be used, or various types of conductors, and, I therefore do not desire to limit myself to any specific type of pump in thisapplication.

I claim:

1. The combination with an instrumentality designed for aerial navigation, of means adapted to depend therefrom and including an element having the functions of a pump, said element being adapted to raise fluid ballast to said instrumentality, said element being rendered active by movements of said instrumentality.

2. The combination with an instrumentality designed for aerial navigation, of means adapted to depend therefrom and to raise fluid ballast to said instrumentality, said means being rendered active for this purpose by movements of the instrumentality. t

3. Means for ballasting an instrumentality designed for aerial navigation and including an element having the functions of a pump, said element being connected to said instrumentality and rendered active for this purpose by movements thereof through a fluid in the general direction of travel of the instrumentality.

4. Means for ballasting an instrumentality designed for aerial navigation and including an element having the functions of a pump said element being connected to said instrumentality and rendered active for this purpose by movements thereof through a fluid in the general direction of travel of the instrumcntality, the activity of the element providing a continuous supply to the instrumentality.

5. The combination with an instrumentality designed for aerial navigation, of means functioning as a pump and rendered active when drawn through a fluid by movements of the instrumentality, for raising a portion of the fluid to said instrumentality to serve as a ballast therefor.

6. The combination with an instrumentality designed for aerial navigation, of a pump-like means connected to and adapted to be drawn through a fluid by said instrumentality, tubular means connecting said instrumentality and said pump-like means for conveying fluid in a continuous stream from the latter to the former during the movement of the former above said fluid.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscrlbing witnesses.

RALPH A, D. PRESTON. Witnesses R. M. LENNEUX, W. H. MILLER. 

